Origins
by PianoKeys913
Summary: Birkhoff stumbles across a surprise for Nikita. Will she find the family she always hoped for? Nikita and my own character. Nikita and Michael of course! Set in Season 2 after Michael decides to stay with Cassandra and Max. I revised and added a little to some of the chapters.
1. A Grave Sight

**NOTE: This is the revised version of my story. I've added a little more to it. Please comment!**

Chapter 1: A Grave Sight

In the high-rise office building, Nikita tried out her new workout equipment that Birkhoff stubbornly agreed or rather submitted to. He constantly told Niki "this place was temporary." She would smile and say, "Unless you would like to switch places I need to stay in shape."

It had been two weeks since Michael called Nikita from London and answered her question. It had been two weeks and now a part of her felt the same way she did when she fought Division on her own. She was happy for him, but in her heart, she could not help but miss him and feel guilty for wanting him back again.

Birkhoff was typing away on his computer when he called Nikita over.

"Hey Niki."

"What Birkhoff?" She forced through her controlled breathing as she did sit ups on a mat.

"I want you to see this."

"Just tell me."

"I don't think I can describe this. It has to do with you if that makes it more interesting."

Nikita stopped and jogged over to him, her ponytail swished back and forth. She stood beside him with her hands on her hips.

"I did a search on the Shadow Net to see if anything new or relevant to any of us surfaced etcetera, etcetera and something came up at your grave site. Take a look."

With clarity, Nikita could see a woman standing in front of her grave with a pea coat and a hat on. The woman stared down at the grave with her arms crossed.

"Who the hell is that?"

"No one you know?" Birkhoff asked.

"No…I don't know…Can you get a close up of her face?"

"Once she turns toward the street camera I should be able to run her face through the database." They watched her until she finally turned away after five minutes. He got a picture of her and searched for a match. Within minutes, her picture and description popped up on the screen. "Let's see…Alyssa…well you two share a common last name."

"Alyssa…Meers?"

"24 years old, interpreter, not married, no kids. She comes from a Chinese mother who is a doctor in upstate New York. Her father…a lawyer. Well she definitely comes from a wealthy bloodline."

"Why was she at my grave?"

"Niki you don't realize? This girl is probably related to you...maybe even your half-sister.

"No...what?" Nikita was full of confusion. It was all so sudden. She hadn't even gone looking for anything.

"I think this is what you've been looking for." Nikita had butterflies in her stomach as stared at the pretty, young girl on the screen. The girl had brown straight hair just above her shoulders. She had hazel eyes, and a slender face. Nikita could not believe the possibility that she'd find her family or that she even had one. She had a feeling, the same one she got when she thought she found her father of 343 Walnut Lane. She almost wanted to dismiss it, take it with a grain of salt, and fill her mind with doubt. However, that part of her that always wanted more, wanted truth, and wanted to know her real self, decided to find Alyssa Meers. Especially since Michael found a new family, maybe it would be best if she found hers too.


	2. A Trip to DC

Chapter 2: A Trip to D.C

Nikita watched Birkhoff dig for more information about Alyssa Meers. She wanted to know everything just in case something bad happened. It could be another Division trap to capture her, retrieve the black box, or kill her. As much as she didn't want to think in this way with matters relating to her family, she had to.

"She lives in D.C. in an apartment about four blocks from her job."

"Write the address down for me." Birkhoff stopped and looked at her.

"You're serious?"

"Birkhoff I have to do this. This is my family."

"You said that last time and oh look where we are living: in an office space instead of my beautiful home that was fine until…" He stopped himself once he saw her giving him the evil eye. "Nevermind. Point is you don't need to get mixed up with this. It could be Division don't you think? I mean how would she have known about you?"

"I thought about it being Division, but maybe my…father told her about me. Maybe she was curious and decided to find out about me and found that I…am dead." She let out a sigh and turned her back to him. "I don't know…a part of me wants to believe that there is someone out there who cares about me, you know. I…that's all I want is to know that…"

"Niki stop. You know that…I care and so does…Mikey. Alright?" He struggled to get the words out. He knew how touchy the situation was for her. She turned to him and nudged him in the shoulder.

"So you do care?" She teased and smiled. That is what she loved about him, he always knew how to bring a smile to her face.

"Anyway let's be honest. You do this and you're setting yourself up for either Division or disappointment. Both are actually synonymous. Probably less likely for this to end well considering that if this girl was really looking for a sister, she just traveled to see a tombstone that signifies a deceased person. In your case, you are very much alive and plan to walk up to her and tell her that your death is fake which comes with an explanation that she may not be ready to hear. It's risky telling someone. You have to consider the facts."

"You're right. I'll deal with that once I get there and introduce myself." She assured him. Birkhoff rubbed his face and looked back at his computer. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"Birkhoff I'll be fine. Like you said this could be what I have been waiting for and you wouldn't have shown me this if you thought I couldn't handle it. I'll be smart about it. This could be my younger sister and I could find my father too. So, I'm packing a bag and heading out today." She began to walk towards the bathroom, but stopped. "Thanks."

Birkhoff heard the bathroom door close and brought the picture of the girl back onto the screen. He tried to find some resemblance but he just shook his head. He was worried and not just about her getting physically hurt but also emotionally hurt. He knew when Michael left she would feel abandoned even though she lived on her own without depending on anyone for quite a while. He knew she wanted more out of life, but she had to complete her own personal mission first.

Nikita got dressed, packed her bag, and drove to D.C. On the way there, she played different scenarios in her head: she would knock on Alyssa's door after she got off work, introduce herself, and explain her life story. They'd talk all night. She thought about her staged father and pictured Alyssa being the same way. She did not want to go through that again, and this time she did not have Michael by her side.

She made it to D.C and parked across the street from Alyssa's apartment. It was a nice place and it looked expensive. She examined the area so she would know her surroundings just in case. She checked her watch and it was twelve in the afternoon. She knew that the average person was at work right now and she knew that she would have to wait for her to get back. Knowing that, Nikita sat and waited. She watched people walk by and noticed a couple with their young child. She could not help but think about Michael and no matter how many times she tried to alleviate herself from loneliness, the feeling would creep up on her again. She watched them until they were out of her sight and then she closed her eyes and decided that meeting this girl whether she was truly her sister or not would be the best thing for her to do. She did not want to give up trying to find her family.


	3. I Am Nikita

Chapter 3: I Am Nikita

By time Nikita awoke from her nap, it was four o'clock. Those three hours of sleep were needed; she was exhausted. She looked around hoping she would see Alyssa. Growing a little impatient she called Birkhoff.

"Everything okay?" He answered.

"Yes."

"What do you need?"

"Can you tell me if she's left work yet?"

"Seeing as though she works for the government I honestly would not like to get myself wrapped up in that anymore."

"Come on Birkhoff I got myself into the CIA."

"Yeah and now they hate you. You know I'd do anything for you Niki but something like that I'll only do if absolutely necessary. The best I can do is tap into these street cameras and see if I spot her coming out of the building or walking down the street."

"Alright call me if you see anything." She hung up disappointed. She knew that she was being impatient.

After another two hours, she finally saw what she had been waiting for. Alyssa turned the corner and walked up to the apartment building with keys dangling in her hand. Nikita watched her walk in and felt anxious to follow in after her. Just then, her phone rang.

"I saw her." She told Birkhoff.

"Okay. Be careful."

"Alright."

She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the rear view mirror before locking the car and walking up to the building. She was nervous and tried to stay calm. When she walked inside, she noticed the mail boxes and quickly scanned the names on them to make sure the girl she saw was Alyssa. Just when a man sitting at the front desk greeted her, she spotted Alyssa's name on a golden nameplate.

"Hello, ma'am? Can I help you?" She walked up to him with a smile and read "James" on his name tag.

"Hi um I'm looking for my friend. She said she lives here and I'm so bad with directions I want to make sure I'm at the right place."

"Okay what's your friend's name?"

"Alyssa Meers."

"Okay I can page her and let her know you are here."

"Oh so I did come to the right place! That'd be great if you could do that." He nodded and called.

"Hello Ms. Meers."

"Hi James."

"Your friend is here to visit you should I send her up?" Alyssa paused for a second.

"My friend?"

"Yes.. um," He looked at Nikita. "Ma'am what is your name?"

"Nikita."

"Your friend Nikita is here. Should I send her up?" Alyssa paused even longer. When she finally spoke she sounded uneasy.

"No that's alright. Tell her I'll be right down."

"Okay Ms. Meers." He turned back to Nikita.

"I knew I should have called first." She chuckled. The man smiled. Nikita folded her arms and waited for Alyssa to come down. She knew Alyssa was probably uneasy considering the fact that she thought Nikita was dead. She probably thought someone was playing a bad joke on her. Nikita tried to stay positive.

A couple of minutes later the elevator door opened and a man stepped out. Right behind him was Alyssa. She began to walk over and spotted Nikita standing next to the front desk. Her eyes grew wide and she slowed down. Nikita was not sure if Alyssa knew what she looked like or not, and she definitely was not sure how Alyssa was going to react to the truth. Before she could say anything James stood up.

"Ms. Meers here is your friend. She was looking for you."

"Thanks James." She smiled at him and reluctantly smiled at Nikita. She stared and Nikita was unsure what to say so she decided to keep acting as the lost friend.

"Hey! I'm so glad I found your place. I was looking all over. I was telling James how I'm so bad with directions." Nikita smiled and laughed.

"Well I'm glad you're here. You want to go talk outside?"

"…yeah sure let's go for a walk."

"See you James." Alyssa said to James and walked out with Nikita. They walked down the street and turned a corner. The whole time Alyssa was silent and she would not look at Nikita. It made Nikita nervous and she felt like she was being led into a trap.

"Wait. I know what you're thinking but I really need to talk to you…Alyssa." Just then Alyssa turned to her and stuck her hand in her pocket. Nikita knew that she had a gun and she stepped back.

"Listen I just want to talk. I'm not here to hurt you or fool you."

"What do you know about Nikita? Did someone send you here?"

"I am Nikita."


	4. Why Are You Here?

Chapter 4: Why Are You Here?

"Stop lying to me."

"No it's true I am Nikita. What you may know about me is a lie. My death…it was faked." Alyssa stood and frowned.

"No, my sister is dead."

"The tombstone that you visited yesterday is fake."

"You were stalking me?" Nikita sighed knowing that came out wrong.

"No, just…"

"I don't know anything alright? All I know is that she was a convicted felon and she died. If my father sent you here tell him I'm done searching. I saw what I needed to see."

"You're right I was convicted of a crime at eighteen. I was put in jail, but the government exchanged my life for my services and to cover that up they 'killed me'." Alyssa paused and looked her in the eyes. This time she was not hiding anything and she was hoping that she was not making a mistake.

"There's a café around the corner." Alyssa abruptly said and started walking again. She took her hand out of her pocket. Nikita began walking behind her and followed her down the street to a small corner café. Alyssa ordered tea and Nikita just sat and waited at a table. Alyssa sat down with a bunch of sugar packets and concentrated on pouring all of them into her tea.

"Like a lot of sugar?" She asked and smiled. Alyssa looked up at her and then back at her tea.

"You know…I wouldn't have believe you…but you look like her."

"Who?" She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Niktia. It was an old picture worn out around the edges but the faces were still clear. A young, tiny woman with long hair and a warm smile stood with her hands on her large stomach. She was very much pregnant. She stood next to a man with a straight face. It was harder to make out his expression. He looked neither happy or sad but Nikita thought she saw a small smile on his face. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She immediately knew who they were.

"This is my mother…and my father." She tried to hold back tears.

"Our father Nikita." Nikita looked at Alyssa. She was smiling and Nikita knew that she believed her and that this was her sister. She could not hold back the tears anymore and she quickly tried to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Alyssa reached across the table and put her hand over Nikita's. Nikita quickly looked over at her but did not move her hand. She felt Alyssa's sincerity and she saw the tears in her eyes. "I was hoping I'd find you." She let out a laugh and wiped her tears.

"Me too." Nikita couldn't believe that things were happening the way she had hoped. There were no traps or tricks or twists and turns. She found what she was looking for, her family. "Would you mind answering a few questions for me?"

"If you'll do the same for me." Alyssa answered.

"Okay. You first."

"How did you know I was at the graveyard?"

"Friend of mine gets a kick out of hacking into street cameras."

"I'm guessing this friend knows that you are 'dead'."

"Yes." She nodded. "that's why he looked there but he wasn't expecting to find anything. I was actually…pretty excited to see you there."

"I'm guessing this friend looked up information about me too?" Nikita reluctantly nodded.

"I didn't mean to come off that way…when you work for a government agency you learn to look up as much information as you can. You never want to go into anything blind."

"What were you going to do if I wasn't who you'd thought I'd be?"

"Leave, fight if I have to. That's usually the case. Unfortunately." She shook her head. "Can I ask you something?" Alyssa nodded.

"Do you know anything about why our father gave me up after my mother died?"

"No. Not a lot. All he told me was that you were born in Vietnam. It was a complicated birth and your mother died shortly afterwards. He said he gave you up for adoption. He couldn't raise you on his own." Nikita looked out the window and sighed.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No. It's just that…I don't understand why he wouldn't want me. Did he have a bad relationship with my mother?"

"He didn't tell me that. He was young at the time he told me. He believed that if he gave you up for adoption it would be better for you." Nikita chuckled at that. They did not know half of what she went through. She saw the uneasiness on Alyssa's face.

"I'm sorry. I had a pretty hard time growing up." Alyssa nodded.

"I understand." She looked at her watch. "Do you want to continue talking at my place?"

"If that's alright." They both left the café and walked back to the apartment.

"So how'd you find out about me?" Nikita asked.

"I did some searching on the internet and found a little bit of information. Mostly death records…I was really disappointed."

"I'm glad I was able to find you. I've waited all my life to meet my family."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 28." Alyssa nodded.

"That's how old the records indicated."

"And you are 23." Alyssa smiled. They reached the apartment and took the elevator to the 8th floor.

"Oh, my boyfriend is supposed to be coming over. I'm not sure if he is here yet but just a heads up." Alyssa told her.

"Okay."

Alyssa opened the door to her apartment and let Nikita in. The living room was bright and vibrant. There were many pictures and decorations.

"This is a nice place." Nikita said.

"Thanks." There was a bookcase halfway full of books. The empty spaces were filled with pictures and trinkets. She glanced over each picture. One was a picture of her graduating high school, one of her graduating college, and many of her in different places around the world."

"You've been to a lot of places."

"Oh, well I traveled abroad in college and during summer breaks. Since I wanted to work and communicate with people all around the world I wanted to get a first glimpse at different cultures."

"Was that always your dream?"

"…yeah I guess it was."

"What did you want to be growing up?" Nikita stopped to think. She never really thought about it. She always had hopes and dreams but her life was put into the hands of other people.

"I don't know…I've always wanted to help people. Maybe a doctor." Alyssa took off her jacket and the gun Nikita knew was there fell onto the floor.

"Oh." Alyssa let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry about that earlier. I never would have used it. My boyfriend gave it to me. He told me to carry it when I feel like I may be in danger."

"He carries a gun?"

"Oh yeah wherever we go. I always tell him to leave it. He won't listen of course." She walked into the kitchen. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No I'm fine." She lied. Just then, she could hear the jingle of keys outside the door. The door opened and a man stood in the doorway.

"Hey babe—" A tall, muscular guy stood in the door way. "Alyssa!" He yelled and immediately pulled out a gun. Nikita reached for hers too and pointed it at him. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Alyssa walked into the room and stopped. "What's going on?"

"Ask her." He said and then looked at Nikita. "Why are you here?"


	5. I Know Everything About You

Chapter 5: I Know Everything About You

"Why are you here?" He asked sternly. Nikita looked at him and tried to recognize him. He was about the same age as Alyssa and he had a serious look on his face. He looked like he wanted to pull the trigger at that very moment, but he wanted answers.

"Anthony stop! Put that away!" Alyssa yelled to him.

"Alyssa do you know who she is?"

"Yes I do. She is my sister." His expression went from serious to complete shock. His eyes went back and forth between the two of them.

"What?"

"Yes Anthony. She is my sister." Alyssa gently said and walked over to him. She touched his arm. "Put the gun away."

"She's lying to you!" Anthony barked. "I know who this woman is and she is not someone you want to be around.

"Have we met before? You seem to know who I am but I don't know who you are. I want answers just as much as you do. So if you put your gun down I'll put my gun down and we can talk it out." Nikita tried to convince him. He looked so angry that she just wanted to get out of his line of fire and leave the apartment.

"Come on Anthony. Let me explain everything." Alyssa still had her hand on his arm as she tried to calm him down. She pushed his arm down and he began to relax. He let her take the gun away and he backed up a little. Alyssa looked over at Nikita and Nikita lowered her gun as well. She put it back in her holster under her shirt.

"Alright." Alyssa sighed. "Anthony how about you go into the other room and cool off?"

Without a word, he brushed by her and went into the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry Nikita. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"No, it's fine. Unfortunately I'm used to that."

"That is unfortunate. Well I'll get him in here and maybe we can start this over again." Nikita nodded and called Birkhoff once she left the room.

"Whaat?" He answered sounding annoyed.

"I'm sorry did I interrupt something?"

"Yeah a very important first person shooter game that i've been trying to beat for days. What's up? you okay?"

"I need you to look up a guy named Anthony. It's Alyssa's boyfriend. I don't have a good feeling about him."

"Why?" Before she could answer, Alyssa and Anthony walked in and she had to hang up.

When she turned around, she saw Alyssa linking with Anthony's. She nudged him.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Anthony and I apologize for being so rude to you before I knew anything about you." He said through his teeth. Nikita could tell he did not mean a word he said and Alyssa probably rehearsed it with him in the kitchen.

"It's no problem but let's not do that again. I'm Nikita, Alyssa's sister." Nikita gave him a handshake.

"Nikita is visiting me from out of town."

"Where are you from?" He asked.

"…New Jersey." She lied. He nodded.

"So what happened were you two separated when you were young?"

"Something like that. More like divorce then remarry type of situation."

"How'd you two find each other?"

"I searched for her on the internet." Alyssa said.

"I did too. I decided to come and visit. I figured it was time we met." Nikita added. They all fell silent and Anthony looked at each of them.

"How about I make you two some dinner?" Anthony suggested. Alyssa giggled.

"That's out of the blue. When did you become so generous? No it's okay. I'll make something."

"Okay don't take up my offer." Anthony shrugged.

"Nikita do you want to come with me into the kitchen?" Nikita nodded and followed her.

"I'll be in the room Alyssa. I have something to do."

"Alight."

Alyssa started pulling things down from the cabinets.

"I don't know what's up with him. Sorry if you feel uncomfortable."

"Well you said he likes guns."

"Yeah maybe a little too much."

"How'd you two meet?"

"Through a friend of mine. We all went out to eat and they introduced us. Classic." Nikita smiled. "You with anyone?"

"Uh…well…." Nikita shifted on her feet and looked to the ground. "I guess you can say we've broken up."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Nikita shook her head and tried to smile.

"No big deal." She pulled the picture of her parents out from her pocket. "I guess not having him around made me realize how important it is that I find my family, you know? Here you can have this back I didn't mean to…"

"Oh no. You keep it. That's your mother. I'm sure you've been wanting to see her face all your life."

"Yeah…" It felt good that Alyssa understood. "What's his name Alyssa?"

"Dad?" Nikita nodded.

"Robert Meers. Mom calls him Robby. His close friends call him Rob."

"I've even waited so long to know his name."

"We should set up a time for you to meet him." Nikita nodded.

Alyssa continued to cook dinner and they all sat together and ate. By the end of the night, Anthony went into the bedroom to go to sleep and Alyssa was putting the last bit of dishes in the dishwasher.

"I guess I should be leaving." Nikita said.

"You're going to go?"

"It's getting late and I have to drive home."

"Well…why don't you stay the night?"

"Oh I don't know. I don't want to impose."

"You're not trust me. I don't mind at all." Alyssa smiled.

"Okay. Thank you."

"I don't have a guest room but…I hope you are okay with the couch. It's actually really comfortable."

"That's fine. Thanks." Nikita walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Alyssa brought in some extra sheets. "Thanks."

"No problem." Alyssa sat down next to Nikita and sighed. She looked at her for a long time. "I'm glad you are here Nikita."

"I'm glad too."

"Well I do have work in the morning but you can stay as long as you like. Just…make sure if you leave before or after I do that you leave a contact number." Nikita smiled and nodded.

"I will."

"Good night."

"Night." They gave each other a hug and right then Nikita knew that she made the right decision. She knew that this is what she had been waiting for.

Alyssa left the room and Nikita lay down on the couch. She cuddled under the covers and looked at the ceiling. She thought about all the possible outcomes of the situation and what could have went wrong. The fact that she found what she was looking fOR was almost too good to be true. She began to drift off to sleep and then she felt her phone vibrateD in her pocket. She knew that it was none other than Birkhoff.

"Yeah what's up?" She said with a sigh.

"I found out who Anthony is."

"What'd you find out?"

"You need to get out of there was fast as you can."

"Why?" She sat up.

"He is d…" Nikita flinch when she felt something press on the back of her head.

"Hang up the phone." Anthony said from behind her.

"Niki?" Birkhoff said on the other end. Nikita did as he said and hung up the phone.

"Get up." She stood up and turned to face him. She began to walk around the couch. "Hey!" He whispered.

"What do you want Anthony?" She put her hands up and slowly walked around the couch until she was standing directly across from him.

"You."

"Me?"

"I want you dead."

"I don't know you. What did I do to you?"

"It's just business. I've been waiting so long to finally meet you."

"Who are you?"

"That's something you don't need to worry about. I just need you to answer some questions for me and maybe this will work out alright."

"With that gun pointed at me? I don't think it's going to work out."

"Oh but it will."

"If you can catch me." He froze not knowing what to expect. She took that chance to kick him to the ground before he could pull the trigger. Once he was on the ground, she pushed the gun away and began to fight him. She sat on top of him and punched him in the face but he was able to kick her off. Once they were both standing Nikita started throwing punches. She realized that he fought just like she did. He stood against the couch and she kicked him over.

"You're Division!" She raced over to the gun she managed to pull away from him and aimed it at him as he lay on the floor. She ran over to him and put the gun right to his forehead. "You were sent here to kill me?" He just kept a sly grin on his face. "Answer me!" She dug the barrel into his forehead.

"I am Division and it is my job to eliminate you. That's what I'll do. I know everything about you."

"So you're using my sister?"

"It took you so long to get here. I practically had to lead her to you." Nikita was full of anger and wanted so bad to pull the trigger. He could see it in her eyes. "Do it. Are you scared?"

"Don't push it."

"If you don't I'll come after you."

"And I'll be waiting if you can catch me." She hit him on the head with the gun and he lay passed out on the floor. She began to run to get Alyssa but she already stood in the hallway watching. She stood terrified.

"Come on we have to go." Nikita pulled her arm. Alyssa stood frozen. "You aren't safe here please come with me." She tugged her again and Alyssa followed her out of the house.


	6. I Couldn't Do The Same Thing To Her

Chapter 6: I Couldn't Do The Same Thing To Her

Nikita managed to get Alyssa into the car. She constantly looked in the rearview mirror making sure no one was following her. Once she got on the highway she relaxed and noticed how quiet Alyssa was. She figured Alyssa was asleep and looked over at her. Instead, Alyssa sat looking forward with her fist in her lap. She was visibly tense and Nikita couldn't blame her. She was probably living a normal life before and that is what Nikita never wanted to change. Nikita hesitated to speak.

"Are…you okay?" She asked.

"…yeah. I'm alright." Alyssa sad so softly that Nikita could barely hear her.

"I'm sorry about all of that. I'm not sure what you saw but…"

"Can we not talk about it right now?"

"Oh. Okay." Nikita was taken back. She felt a knot in her throat and she almost felt guilty that she let that side come out of her in her sister's house. Initially, she didn't even want Alyssa to see any of that, but it was too late to care about appearances now.

Nikita pulled up to the building her and Birkhoff made a home and parked behind it. She turned the car off.

"Where are we?"

"This is my place. Well…it's an office building. It's a little odd but its home for now." Alyssa hesitantly follow Nikita into the building and onto an elevator until they made it to the spacious office area that had a good view of the city. Birkhoff stood up when Nikita walked up behind him and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Niki! I thought something bad happened to you. You had me panicking. I was just tracking your location. I even called Michael."

"You did? Well, thanks for all that and I'm sorry I scared you like that but I ended up finding out who Anthony is for myself."

"Yeah, sorry I didn't get that to you sooner. But seriously you sister needs to watch out because…" He noticed Alyssa standing behind Nikita and looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Oh…I guess she doesn't need to worry then."

"I decided to bring her here. She would have been in danger otherwise," Nikita told him.

"Yeah definitely. I'm Seymour Birkhoff. It's very nice to meet you Alyssa."

"Nice to meet you too." They shook hands.

"Well make yourself at home. As I tell my guests, mi casa es su casa. The more the merrier," he smiled.

"Thank you. Could I go to sleep somewhere?"

"Yeah sure there is a guest room down the hall." Nikita led Alyssa to her room. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"Okay. Good night."

"Night." Nikita shut the door and sat on the couch next to Birkhoff. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Hang in there," Birkhoff told her.

"It's just…nothing turned out the way I expected. Everything was perfect at first but it seems like Division is always right there. It just won't go away."

"It does seem like that, but if you think about it, it is not surprising that they planted one of their little bugs on someone that would be of interest to you."

"Percy must have done this…"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Amanda. Percy wouldn't have had a reason to do it because you were within Division. Since you recently tried looking for your father and found out he was a fake, they knew you would keep looking. Amanda knew." Nikita reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Did you kill him Niki?" She looked him in the eyes.

"Something stopped me from doing it. I mean…I felt like he wasn't like other agents I've come across. Besides, Alyssa was in the other room and she has some kind of relationship with him and…"

"Oh come on Nikita. It was obviously a false relationship."

"Well what if it wasn't? Even if it was to him, it wasn't to her. She has barely said a word to me since we left her apartment. You know me well enough Birkhoff and you know what I've been through. I lost someone I love because of Division. Why would I do that to her?" She was pacing back and forth and tried to control her voice so she was quiet enough not to be overheard by Alyssa.

"I understand. I'm sorry. At this point, he is still out there and I'm sure he is devising a plan to come after you and her. Just be careful and…protect her. You are really the only person who can at this point you know." She looked at him and nodded. She sat down again and put her head down.

"You made the right choice and you saved your sister. If you never decided to meet her who knows what would have happened with Division following her."

"I'm going to make sure they leave my family alone. It's my responsibility. I need to see my father. "

"Do you think that is wise with Anthony on your tail? He may go there."

"That's all the reason for me to go. I'll be ready for him." Birkhoff put his hand on her shoulder.

"I think you've been through enough for the day. How about you go and relax. I'll keep an eye on things out here." Nikita smiled at him and gave him a hug.  
>"Thanks Birkhoff." She got up and headed for the room.<p>

"Oh! You might want to call Mikey tonight. He is worried about you. Let him know you are okay."

Nikita nodded and went into the bedroom. She lay on the bed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She had a missed call him Birkhoff and from Michael. She stared at his name on her phone and contemplated on what she was going to tell him. In a way, she didn't want to tell him about everything. She knew he'd worry and that was the last thing she wanted him to do. At the same time, he was the only person she truly confided in. Mustering up her courage, she pressed the talk button and closed her eyes waiting for him to pick up.


	7. Words Behind Doors

Chapter 7: Words Behind Doors

Nikita waited for him to answer with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. It made her nervous. Since they were no longer truly together, she felt as if she should not call him unless it was for something important. She felt as if she should not bother him with her problems anymore; he had his family to worry about. It was late in the night, but she knew it would be better to call him now. Otherwise he'd stay up waiting for her call.

Her eyes flashed open when she heard his voice.

"Nikita?" He spoke in a coarse tone. She could hear the restlessness in his voice.

"Hey Michael…"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm okay."

"Birkhoff told me you ran into someone from Division?"

"Yeah my…sister's boyfriend disguised himself until he met me."

"Did you find out more about…wait—your sister?"

"Yes. I have a sister. I found her. Her name is Alyssa." Michael didn't say anything at first.

"…Nikita that's…amazing. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks."

"Why—why didn't you tell me?" He asked. She could tell he was hurt and she felt guilty. He told her before that he'd would stick with her through it all and now she was avoiding his help.

"I'm sorry I just…I acted on it as soon as I found out which was… a little less than 24 hours ago. I just…I didn't want you to worry and I thought it'd be best if I did this on my own anyway. Besides you're not…here." She immediately felt the weight of her words and heard him sigh on the other end.

"I—you know Nikita that I'll do anything for you. Even though I'm not right there I'm always here for you. If you need me to catch the next flight to come see you, I'll do it. Nothing has changed."

"But it has, Michael. It has."

"Nikita…"

"Michael I know you may not see it but it's fine. "

"Regardless of what things may seem like I will always be there and if you need me to come to today, tomorrow, whenever I will. Let me know."

"Okay…thank you."

"I love you."

"You too." Nikita hung up the phone and felt even worse than she felt beforehand.

Before she knew it she drifted off to sleep. When she awoke in the morning she was the first one up. She quietly walked to Birkhoff's room to check on Alyssa. She was about to knock when she heard Alyssa's muffled voice. She tried to listen and only heard a few things.

"No! I don't know what to believe... I saw you...now I'm hours away from home... Things turned out differently than I expected...what about us? Was everything a lie?" There was a long pause. "I don't think I want to see you again...you stay away from them."

After that Nikita did not hear anything. It was silent and her hand inched toward the knob of the door. She knocked quietly.

"Alyssa? Can I come in?" Nikita asked.

"...yes." Nikita hesitated before turning the knob. She went inside the room and saw Alyssa sitting on the edge of the bed with her hand over her face.

"Hey...how are you feeling?" Nikita asked already knowing the answer. She knew that Anthony called and Alyssa was having conflicting feelings about him and everything that happened to her since Nikita came.

"I'm okay."

"I thought I heard you talking on the phone. Was that your job?" She played naive.

"I already called them and let them know that I am taking a personal day."

"That's good."

"It was dad... I told him I was coming over...today."

"Today? With me?" Alyssa nodded and tried to smile. Nikita looked down at her hands not sure what to think. Her whole life all she wanted was to meet her real parents. She just wasn't sure if she was ready.

"Don't be scared Nikita." Alyssa rested her hand on Nikita's back.

"I want to go, but I don't know of it is a good idea Alyssa."

"Why?"

"Who were you really talking to on the phone?" Nikita saw Alyssa tense up.

"Anthony called me."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that he cares about me. He told me not to trust you."

"I don't think you should trust him, Alyssa. He is Division, the government agency I told you that I used to be a part of. He is going to tell you anything to make you believe him."

"Maybe he isn't lying. He has never given me a reason not to believe him. I just met you and within less than 24 hours, I saw you hold a gun up to him and now I'm at least 3 hours from home. My life was fine until you showed up." Nikita sighed with frustration.

"If you don't believe me then believe this: when he came into the living room as I was on my way to sleep and put a gun up to my head I fought him but I didn't hurt him. I know that you love him and I didn't want to be the one to take him away from you." Alyssa didn't say anything. "But if he threatens to hurt you, me, or anyone else I don't know if I can hold back. "

"I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone." Nikita looked her in the eyes and saw her determination. She didn't know how things were going to end up but she knew that with Anthony around she had to be the one to protect everybody.

"Maybe we should go visit your parents and warn them." Alyssa nodded.

"We should go soon." Nikita noticed how worried Alyssa was.

"I'm going to get dressed." Nikita told her and left the room. She knew that Alyssa wasn't telling her something.


	8. A Lot of Questions

Chapter 8: A Lot of Questions

Nikita put on her clothes and packed a bag of what she would call essentials like a pistol and extra bullets. She then attached a gun to the holster on her hip and put a knife in her boot. She felt the need to be ready for Anthony, whatever, or whoever would be coming her way. She could not help but feel that she was going to run into some trouble. She always pictured meeting her parents as calm and relieving but her life never felt that way, not even when she slept; only with Michael did she feel like things would be okay.

Once she was ready to go and made sure Birkhoff understood what she was doing, she left the building with Alyssa and headed for upstate New York. Alyssa started the trip in silence like she did before.

"So I'm going to meet dad." Nikita said in disbelief.

"Yeah. I know you must be excited. I'm happy for you. It's going to be great for him to see you. I'll finally get my wish as well." Nikita smiled and tried to picture the man in the old picture that she kept in her pocket. She thought maybe he would be happy to see her. That is what she hoped. Then she remembered what Alyssa said when they first met.

"Alyssa on our way to the cafe near your house you asked me if your father sent me. What did you mean by that?"

"Dad is always trying to protect me. My first thought was that he sent a fake woman to pretend to be my sister so that I'd stop trying to find you." Nikita was taken aback by this and she did not know what to think.

"Well why wouldn't he want you to find me?"

"Mm I really don't know. He always acts uncomfortable when he talks about you and your mother. I guess he feels bad that he wasn't there for you." Nikita knew that Alyssa was just as clueless as she was. They would not be clueless much longer; Nikita planned on having a long talk with him.

When they turned into Alyssa's neighborhood Nikita realized how different their lives had been. The neighborhood was quiet and cookie-cutter perfect just the way she envisioned it would be. She knew this was where "perfect" families lived; the family she always wished would take her away from the hell she lived in everyday growing up. Eventually after spending years in that terrible house she came to the conclusion that no one would adopt her, because there was something wrong with her; she just was not good enough. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Alyssa spoke.

"Right here."

Nikita parked in front of the house and stared. She smiled knowing the her dad was right behind those doors. The house was perfect. Flower bushes lined the path to the door and blue shutters decorated the windows. She also noticed the three cars parked in the driveway.

"They own three cars?"

"No."

"Someone is over?" Alyssa stared at the house.

"He told me he was coming." Alyssa mumbled to herself.

"Who?"

"Nikita Anthony is here. You said you can protect them right?"

"I already told you I would be prepared."

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I was hoping he wasn't serious. He told me he would come and he told me to bring you."

"So you were going to hand me over in exchange for your parents' lives?" Alyssa looked at here with sad eyes.

"I knew you wouldn't let him take you. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's alright. Can I go meet my father?" Alyssa nodded and got out of the car. Nikita followed her and watched Alyssa put her key in the door.

"Mom! Dad!" Alyssa called out. Nikita looked around and saw that the interior was just as nice as the exterior. The floors were polished wood and the walls were decorated with family pictures. The one by the stairway caught her eye. It was a picture of Alyssa with her parents when she was about twelve or thirteen. She felt a sense of abandonment. Her father replaced her and her mother with another woman and child. She was pulled out of her thoughts again when Alyssa called out to her parents after there was no answer.

"Alyssa?" They walked into the living room and saw Alyssa's parents sitting with Anthony. "Hi sweetheart, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Alyssa's mother said. She got up and gave Alyssa a hug. "You brought a friend with you?"

"Mom, dad this is my…sister, Nikita." Nikita watched as their faces freeze.

"Nikita?" She looked over at the man she had dreamed of meeting her entire life. Yet, she did not know what to say. This time she was not attacked with a weapon like when she met the man pretending to be her father. It felt different.

"Hi," she forced herself to say.

"Alyssa, why don't you take Anthony into the other room?" Alyssa's mother said still staring at Nikita. Without a word, Alyssa looked at Anthony and walked out of the living room. He had a smirk on his face and slowly followed her. "Please sit down." Nikita did as she was asked and sat on the couch across from her father and his wife.

"I guess…you have a lot of questions for me." Robert said.

"Yes I do."


	9. Robert and Lynn

Chapter 9: Robert and Lynn

"I want to know about you, my mother and why you gave me up," Nikita told her father. He sighed.

"Well, I guess I will start with my name. I'm Robert Meers, I'm 54 years old and this is my wife Lynn. Your mother and I, we met in Vietnam. At the time, I was having trouble finding a job. I was fresh out of college. A friend of mine owned a company and he was trying to expand his business overseas. He chose Vietnam and wanted an American there to communicate and do business from overseas. I volunteered to go. When I got there I felt so alone. I knew no one, I could barely speak Vietnamese, the food was different, I had a hard time. There was a restaurant near my house and I became a regular every day after work. I'd always get the same waitress I guess it was because she could speak English. Her name was Ahn." Nikita noticed a smile on his face when he said her name. "We were together for months and then I found out she was pregnant. I couldn't believe it. It wasn't in my plans to have a child yet but she wanted to have you and I decided I'd bring the two of you to America and we could raise our family here. She was fine throughout her pregnancy. She was excited to see you and hold you. She told me that her life was hard before I came and that you would make it even better. After she had you, she got really sick and the doctors said she may not recover. When they knew she was going to pass away, they brought you in the room for her to see. She held you and decided that your name be Nikita, because she said you were strong. She gave you a kiss on the forehead and handed you to me and that was it."

Nikita had tears coming down her face. She could barely make herself speak.

"What happened next?"

"I asked the company to give my position to someone else and I returned home jobless and broke with a child in my arms. I knew I wasn't ready to raise children. I thought having Ahn there to help take care of you would make me stronger, but I couldn't do it alone. I figured adoption would be best. I knew you'd be given a good family that would take care of you better than I could."

Nikita wiped her tears away.

"I was never adopted. Actually, my life was hell growing up. But I got myself through it just barely and I grew up wondering why I never had parents."

"I'm sorry," he looked at her with sincere eyes. Nikita nodded but could not say anything.

"I just wish I could have met her."

"You look just like her." She could see him tearing up. She handed him the picture.

"Alyssa gave this to me." He stared at the picture for a long time. He quickly patted away the tears in his eyes and handed her the picture.

"You see her smile? That's what she was like every day. Even at her worst." Nikita smiled at the picture and put it back in her pocket.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. Can I ask you something else?" he nodded. "Why didn't you want Alyssa to know about me or find me?"

She saw him pause unsure of what to say. He looked over at his wife.

"W-Well..."

"Okay I think we have talked long enough don't you? We have our company in the other room." Lynn said while getting up.

"But I would like to talk..."

"We can finish this later okay Robby?" she gave him a stern look and then walked into the room where Alyssa and Anthony were sitting. Nikita frowned and looked at her father who sat with his head down avoiding eye contact.

"Can you answer my question Robert?"

"Please leave," he looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through and I'm sorry that you didn't meet your mother but I need you to leave." Nikita looked at him with confusion and shock.

"Well I see what kind of person you are."

"You don't understand Nikita. You aren't safe here." She thought about Anthony being in the other room and saw him walk in with Alyssa and Lynn. He still had a smirk on his face as he stood pointing a gun in her direction.

"I don't think you should be going anywhere. A Division team is on their way here." She looked at Alyssa.

"Alyssa, come with m,." Nikita said to her as she got ready to fight to defend herself and her little sister. Then she saw Alyssa shake her head in refusal.

"I'm sorry Nikita I didn't know, but I can't let my family get hurt I'm sorry," she said as she cried.

"If you do anything to try to escape I will have to hurt you." Lynn threatened while holding a gun to Nikita's head and forcing her to sit on the couch. Nikita looked at everyone terrified and confused. It looked as if no one was on her side.

"What is going on?" Nikita asked.

"I will be the one asking questions today Nikita." Lynn said with her gun still pointed at her.

"What do you want?"

"First you are going to tell me where the black box is."

"What do you know about the black box? Does Anthony have you up to this?" Lynn scoffed.

"No. Do you really think I'd be taking orders from a little punk like him?"

"Hey-" Anthony said.

"Tell me where it is." Lynn persisted. Nikita sat with her lips sealed.

"Unless you would rather deal with Amanda's interrogations which I learned from experience as very uncomfortable."

Nikita looked her in the eyes in revelation.

"You're Division?"

"Was. I got away from it, I escaped until you pulled that little stunt that made them realize you were going to come looking for your real parents. They found me, but they want you more," Lynn told her. "I can't sacrifice my family for you. You had your chance to get away for good but instead you went snooping around for trouble."

"I'm trying to stop them so that they can no longer do this to anybody. You left because you were unhappy right? I'm trying to save many just like you are trying to save your family." Lynn stared and contemplated lowering her gun, but she kept it pointed right at Nikita's temple.

"It'll all be over soon. Then you won't have to worry about saving anyone."

"Because I'll be dead."

"I'm just following orders what happens after that has nothing to do with me."

"Still following orders? I thought that was over once you were free."

"It's for the safety of my family."

"I guess you will always be tied to them. If you follow orders now what does that tell them for the future?"

"Lynn! You know this is wrong! That is my daughter and she deserves to live as much as we do. All this time I thought I had to protect all of you from her but that's not the case here is it?" Robert shouted to his wife.

"Your family and your life will always be in Division's palm unless you fight." Nikita said.

"Listen to her mom." Alyssa spoke softly from the other end of the room. Lynn looked at Alyssa unsure of what to believe, at Anthony knowing she had to finish her mission, at her husband who didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, and then at Nikita.

"You're right." Lynn admitted through her teeth. She slowly put her gun down.

"Fine Lynn if you won't handle it, I will." Anthony pulled his gun out of his pocket and waved it at everyone. "If any of you do anything other than what I say before the team gets here I won't hesitate to shoot."


	10. A Little Help

Chapter 10: A Little Help

"No we are still in this together," Lynn told Anthony.

"No we are not. You just decided yourself to be on her side. Sit down." He waved his gun towards the couch.

"You forgot. I still have a gun." Lynn raised her gun to Anthony. Nikita stole that chance to pull her gun out and point it towards him as well.

"You may be able to take me, but don't forget Division is on their way."

Alyssa walked up to Anthony and grabbed his shoulder.

"You have to stop Anthony. Why are you doing this?"

"Alyssa stay out of this. You don't understand."

"What makes you so sure? I get it. In order to save yourself you are going to put my family in danger by giving them to some government agency."

"I have to." She looked him in the eyes and put her hand on his cheek.

"I care about you so much, but I have to ask, was it all fake? Everything? Or do you really care about me?" he could see that she was crying. Anthony took her hand off of his face and squeezed it.

"Alyssa...I love..." Before he could finish his sentence, the door was blown off of its hinges and a swarm of men came into the living room and surrounded them. Anthony and Lynn turned towards the door and a man stepped in.

"Looks like you successfully completed your task." Nikita looked over and saw Sean standing with his hands behind his back. He signaled to one of the men and the man grabbed Nikita. She tried to fight him off. "Amanda told me that if you hold up your end of the deal Lynn that you and your family are free to go." Lynn hesitantly nodded. "Alright. Bring Nikita to the car."

"Mom you can't let them do this." Alyssa yelled. Lynn kept her back turned away from Alyssa and looked at the ground. Nikita fought the man off of her but two more pushed her down and held guns to her head. They pulled her onto her feet and pushed her towards the door. Nikita looked at Lynn with disappointment.

"Wait. I can't let you take her." Lynn said. Sean sighed.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that because my orders in that case are to take you back to Division. She also wanted to meet your daughter."

"Leave them out of this! They have nothing to do with my past and shouldn't have to suffer because of it!" Another man grabbed Lynn.

"No! Let go of me!"

"Come on men!" Sean yelled to the team who all began to disburse out of the front door. Anthony began to follow but Alyssa grabbed his arm.

"Anthony." She looked at him in shock. He kissed her on the cheek then pulled himself away.

"I'm sorry."  
>He left the house. Nikita was pulled outside and towards a car. One of the agents pulled the door open but he collapsed after a gunshot pierced the air. Nikita took that chance to break loose and take cover against the car. She pulled out another gun and began shooting at the Division team. She looked around to see where the shooting was coming from and caught a glimpse of Michael.<p>

"Michael?" she said with surprise. Her heart was racing with surprise and excitement to see Michael. She was happy that he came to get her just like he said he would. She ducked passed the Division car and went into the front seat of her car. She grabbed the duffel bag and equipped herself with a machine gun. She got out of the car and shot at the team again. They began to get into their cars and she saw Sean telling them to fallback. She remembered Lynn and saw her sitting in the passenger seat of Sean's car. She shot at the car as it sped off. She saw Michael standing in the street shooting at the cars as they left.

"Michael!" she yelled out. He turned and saw her. They walked towards each other and she hugged him. "Thank you for coming. How'd you know I was here?"

"I got a call."

"Birkhoff?" She asked.

"Of course. When I got a call from Birkhoff I got on the first plane. Remember I told you I'd be there for you." Nikita nodded and smiled. "I got some help too." He looked behind her. She turned around and saw Owen smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back and she have him a hug.

"Owen! I'm so happy to see you. Thanks for coming"

"You know I'm always down to kick some Division ass." He smirked.


	11. The Next Mission

Chapter 11: The Next Mission

Nikita nodded towards the door of the house and Owen and Michael followed. When she got inside she saw Robert sitting on the couch with his hands over his face. She looked for Alyssa but did not see her.

"Robert?"

He looked up surprised to see her.

"Nikita? I thought they took you away."

"No I got some help from my friends," she smiled. "Where is Alyssa?"

He got up from the couch and grabbed her arms. Michael immediately pushed him away.

"Woah," he looked at Nikita. "Who is this man Nikita?"

"It's okay Michael. He is my father," she said without taking her eyes off of Robert. Michael's face was full of surprise. He stepped back and stared at the man then looked back at Nikita.

"Robert where..."

"They took her!" he blurted out with tears in his eyes. "My little girl...I tried so hard to keep her safe from these people but..."

"But no one grabbed her on the way out."

"Anthony did. After they took you out the door Anthony kissed her goodbye, but then a man told him to take her with them. He hesitated so two men grabbed her and one pushed him out the house."

Nikita thought back to that moment when they were about to put her in the car and realized she was so caught up in the commotion that she did even notice. Her vision was transfixed on the ground. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Michael we have...we have to save her."

"We will handle it. We need to figure something out. Maybe we should head back."

Nikita walked up to Robert.

"I will do everything I can to get her back to you."

"Thank you. And Lynn?"

Nikita paused. Lynn almost let division take her but then tried to save her. She owed her.

"I'll get her back to you as well." He smiled and held Nikita's hand in his. Even though she did want to get to know her father she started to feel uncomfortable. "We should get going." She said over her shoulder to Michael and Owen. Nikita began to walk towards the front door.

"Wait Nikita you aren't just going to leave him here are you?" She stopped and looked at Owen. "Amanda just may decide to have him killed. Who knows. Especially if she knows it would hurt you."

"You're right. Robert you have to come with us."

"What?"

"You aren't safe here. Those people may come back for you." Robert nodded and followed them out the door to the car. Michael and Owen got into Michael's car and followed Nikita back to Birkhoff's house. The ride home was quiet and awkward between her and Robert. There were so many thought swarming around in her head. She had waited for this day for so long but with her luck she figured it wouldn't turn out the way she wanted. Nothing ever did.


	12. Restless

Chapter 12: Restless

They all made it back to the safe house. Birkhoff stood up when he saw everyone.

"Thank God you're okay." He sighed and smiled at Nikita.

"I heard what you did Birkhoff, thanks." She returned with a smile. He noticed Nikita's father.

"Is that…"

"This is my father." She told him.

"Welcome sir. It's great to have you here." Birkhoff said to Robert and shook his hand. "I'm Birkhoff."

"Robert."

"Let me show you where you'll be sleeping." Nikita said to Robert and led him to the extra bedroom. He walked into the room and looked around.

"Not much but the bed is comfortable and…it's safe here." Nikita told him as he looked around the bare room.

"Thank you so much Nikita."

"No problem. I figured you wanted to get some rest so I'll leave you alone and if you need anything just let one of us know. You can help yourself to the kitchen." She turned to leave.

"Nikita." She turned to look at him. "I don't know if I should ask you this, but I want to know why you are doing all of this for me? I know I haven't been there for you at all. I practically left you and I see how it affected your life."

"It's the right thing to do for my sister…and I'd never want to see something happen to an innocent person. You and my sister shouldn't be involved in this." She started to leave again.

"Nikita…I'm sorry…for everything. I wish I could have been the father for you that I am for Alyssa."

Nikita felt herself tearing up. It felt good to hear that he genuinely cared about her. She always wanted that. He turned out to be what she wanted. She turned to look at him and slightly smiled.

"Thank you for that." She left the room and closed the door. She leaned against the door, took a deep breath, and wiped her tears before going back out to talk to the guys. They still had business to take care of.

When she went into what was supposed to be a living room she saw all the guys huddled around the computer behind Birkhoff.

"Have you guys come up with a plan?" Nikita asked. When she saw the doubt on Michael's face as he looked at her she knew it wasn't working out.

"It's a tough situation."

"We have no way into Division. It's not like we can just bust in there and say give them to us." Owen said. "The only way we'd be able to do it is if we one: negotiate with Amanda which I highly don't recommend or two: someone could help us on the inside."

"Alex." Michael suggested.

"Yeah but when's the last time you've spoken to her Niki?"

"It'll be today."

Birkhoff made the phone untraceable and called Alex.

"Who's this?" She answered.

"An old friend. Remember me?"

"Birkhoff?" She slightly whispered.

"Alex."

"….Nikita."

"I need to talk to you."

"About?"

"I know we aren't necessarily working together right now but…you're the only person who can help me right now…that I trust."

"…what is it."

"I need you to help me get my sister out of Division."

"You're sister?"

"Yes…I found my family."

"Nikita…that's great I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. "

"What do you need me to do?"

"Are you at Division right now?"

"No I'm at my apartment."

"Could you go there and find out what's going on? My sister's name is Alyssa and my father's wife's name is Lina. Lina is an ex Division agent. She laid low for years, but they found her and told her in order to be free she needed to give me to Division. She got taken away instead and they took my sister. My plan is to get them both out."

"How could I even go about doing that? I'm not an agent anymore, so if I show curiosity in this one mission I will look suspicious."

"No I don't think so." Michael said. "They know about your relationship with Nikita and they believe that you two hate each other at this point. If you show curiosity in Nikita's family it won't look strange. You could always say you want to talk to them maybe even try to convince them that staying at Division may be beneficial. Then Amanda won't suspect anything."

"I get that but how would that help get them out."

"There's a secret tunnel right? Maybe at night you could sneak in and take them out."

"That won't work there's camera's everywhere in Division." Owen said. "Lina's an ex agent right?" Nikita nodded. "Then she'll know her way around Division. If Alex goes in to talk to them she could tell Lina where the exit is and then at night they could sneak out."

"I don't think that will work." Alex said.

"Come on as much as you snuck around Division," Birkhoff said. "I never suspected anything."

"Well one you never paid any attention to the cameras and two I was an agent. If anyone was watching the cameras they'd be noticed."

"Then distract that person." Nikita said. "This may work."

"Well I'll head there now and see what's going on. Nikita I'll call your phone periodically."

"Alright. Alex?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"I'm only repaying you. I believe I owe you." Alex hung up. Nikita looked at Michael feeling a little hopeful.

They waited hours for Alex to call. Later that night Alex called. Nikita quickly picked up.

"Hey."

"Hey. I talked to Amanda and she told me she's planning on making them become agents. She said with Lina's experience she'll be Amanda's assistant. Almost like filling Amanda's shoes from when she worked under Percy. Alyssa is going to be trained to be an assassin. They were put into the same room for the night Amanda said. I went in and talked to them and told them I was there to help. I told them where the escape is and I told them to wait until midnight. At midnight I'm going to go and try to distract Sonya in communications. I'll call you when everything works out."

"Okay thanks." Nikita hung up. "It's killing me that I'm just sitting here."

"You're doing as much as you can. I'm glad Alex came through for us." Michael put his arm around her and she smiled. It felt good to have him close to her again. Owen, sitting on the couch across from them, stared then got up and walked to the window. Nikita watched him then looked at Michael. He already knew what she was thinking and he walked over to a table and began to clean his guns. Nikita walked over to the window and looked out at the city. Owen seemed to be captivated by the lights of the city. She stared out and then looked at him waiting for him to say something.

"You know I never liked the idea of a city that never sleeps. I grew up in a friendly, small, suburban town. It is kind of unsettling that some people just don't sleep and never take time off from the stresses of their lives. There's just not enough time in a day. Emily grew up in a small town too. She said she always wanted to live in a city. As much as I hated the idea my plan that day was to pack her up and head to a city, and city she chose. I never got to ask her which one. If I could have at least done something right for her." Nikita put her hand on his shoulder then his face. He looked at her trying to hold back tears.

"Hey she appreciated everything you did for her I'm sure. She loved you." He nodded. She gave him a hug. "Maybe you should get some rest."

"Yeah…you're right. Where should I sleep?" She walked over to Birkhoff.

"Where should Owen sleep?"

"Uh..well. Your dad is in the guest room…I guess he can take my room since we are all still out here waiting for Alex to call back."

"Thanks Birkhoff." She led Owen to Birkhoff's room and said goodnight. She saw Birkhoff on his computer typing away. She looked at Michael who had his back turned toward them as he silently cleaned his guns. She slowly walked over to him. He smiled at her when he saw her.

"Hey."

"Hey. Um…I hope it wasn't too much having you come out here so soon."

"It wasn't a problem at all. I actually got here last night." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"You know Birkhoff is always looking out for you. He figured what you were doing was pretty reckless and he knew you'd go anyway so he called me and Owen to stay on guard in case anything happened." She glanced over at Birkhoff and felt grateful that he was looking out for her so much.

"Thank you for coming and saving me once again." She smiled at him.

"It's what people do when they care about each other. We have to watch each other's back."

About a half an hour later Nikita's phone rang.

"Alex?"

"They are out. I'm driving to meet them at a diner now. I'm going to drive them to a motel a couple of miles from my apartment and you can take it from there."

"Thank you so much Alex. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"No problem. Glad I could help. I'll send you the motel's address."

"Okay." Nikita hung up the phone and closed her eyes.

"Everything okay?" Birkhoff asked.

"She got them out."

"Let's go get them." Michael said and grabbed his coat and a gun. Nikita did the same and they headed to the address Alex sent to Nikita's phone. Once they got there they walked to the front desk where an older man was dozing off while watching TV. Nikita tried glancing over the desk at the check in list but the man noticed them and stood up.

"Renting a room?" He asked.

"Yes." Nikita smiled at the man and paid him for the room. Nikita and Michael headed to their room once they got the key.

"Great now we don't even know where they are. I figured they used fake names on the check in sheet."

"Birkhoff may be able to find them." She called him.

"Okay using satellite images now… okay I see where Alex dropped them off, they headed into the office…room 207 top floor about in the middle."

"Thanks Birkhoff." They headed up to the second floor and knocked on 207. It took a while for them to answer. When the door finally opened Alyssa pulled Nikita into a hug.

"Nikita," she cried. "Thank you." Nikita smiled.

"Where's Lynn?"

"She's gone."

"What?"

"Yeah she left once I made it to the room. She told me that she was leaving and she didn't know when she'd be back."

"Alright well let's get you back to the house."

When they made it back Alyssa went to the room where her father was sleeping. Birkhoff had already begun to fall asleep on the couch when they got back. The only room left was Nikita's.

"If you're comfortable with it you can sleep in here." Nikita told Michael. It was strange talking to him this way, because they used to never hesitate to fall asleep together. That was the only peaceful time of the day that they were given.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Nikita was a little disappointed, but it was expected of him to say that given their current relationship status.

"It's been a long day…I don't mind if you sleep in the bed, Michael." She said as she sat on the edge of the bed and switched into a comfortable t-shirt. She pulled off her pants and slipped on shorts and then pulled her hair out of a pony tail. She waited for him to reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm." She said without looking at him. She pulled herself under the covers and turned off the light on the end table. She waited for him to get into the bed. He slowly walked over and sat on the edge. He pulled off his shirt and lay on top of the covers with his hand behind his head. She looked around the room thinking about everything she'd like to talk to him about. She wanted badly to just turn around and look at him. She heard him clear his throat.

"Your sister…she seems like a very nice person."

"She is. I'm glad I met her."

"I'm glad too. You deserved to meet your family. It's something you've always wanted…a family."

"I guess you can understand that the most." He paused.

"Yeah…I guess you're right."

"H-hows everything? Back in England?" She hesitated.

"It's going great. I love watching Max every day and Cassandra takes really good care of him."

"Great. I'm glad to hear that."

"It does feel good to be back though to see Birkhoff…and you." Nikita turned onto her back. "You know I miss just talking to you, but I'm glad you called me."

"I'm sorry if I've been a little…distant lately."

"It's alright. I just want you to know that I do care about you." She felt his eyes on her and she forced herself to look at him.

"I care about you too." She caught herself staring at him. As she broke herself out of it she felt him move closer to her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and then turned onto his back again. She couldn't help but smile. She almost put her arm around him, but she stopped herself. The distance between them was beginning to get to her even though she tried so hard not to let it bother her. Her was right there next to her, yet she couldn't even bring herself to touch him. She forced herself turned away from him and she went to sleep.


	13. Return to Nowhere

Chapter 13: Return to Nowhere

Nikita smiled when she woke up and saw Michael asleep next to her. He was so close to her and was facing her. She watched him sleep peacefully, she listened to him breathe and studied his face. She didn't want to wake him. She hadn't seen him like this in a long time. She gently put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed his arm. He lazily opened and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey." He mumbled.

"Hey." She returned. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great." He said still rubbing his eyes. She couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Get up." She playfully, punched him in the arm, and got out of bed to stretch. She stretched her body towards the ceiling then sighed once she felt her body loosen up. She looked back at the bed to see if Michael had gotten up but he wasn't in the bed. Soon she felt him behind her and turned around. He had a grin on his face.

"Is something funny?" She asked jokingly.

"No it's just that I like seeing you in the morning," he said with his usual smirk. She stepped closer to him and he pulled her into a hug. They stood there quietly holding one another. It was refreshing being so close again after all that time apart. She looked up at him not wanting to let him go.

"We should go see if everyone else is up," he nodded as he moved a piece of her hair off of her face.

"Yeah..."

They got lost in one another and everything around them became unimportant. She loved how being with him made all the problems they faced everyday become so minute. The moment was perfect and she almost felt like they had never been apart. They were about to kiss, but Nikita hesitated when she remembered that he would only leave again to be with Cassandra and Max. She gently pushed away and he knew exactly why from the look in her eyes. She was hurting but she tried to give him a smile. He let go of his hand and turned to open the door.

Birkhoff, Owen, and Robert were sitting on the couches talking and Alyssa was in the kitchen. They all looked at Nikita and Michael. Birkhoff and Owen especially had looks on their face; they knew the deal with Nikita and Michael's relationship.

"How'd you two sleep last night?" Birkhoff asked. The two of them looked at each other.

"Fine." Michael said.

"Okay." Nikita said almost simultaneously with Michael. Michael sat on the couch next to Owen and Nikita walked into the kitchen ignoring the looks on their friend's faces. Nikita heard Birkhoff snickering and Michael telling him to stop. She shook her head and walked up to Alyssa. "Are you cooking for everyone?"

"Hey sis." Alyssa smiled. "Yeah I figured I should. I mean, it's the least I could do after everything that happened recently. I figured everyone could use a nice breakfast."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. Besides, I love to cook." Nikita saw how good she was at multi-tasking. She was flipping pancakes, cracking eggs, and turning bacon with ease. If anyone told Nikita to cook a meal with the same amount of ease as she would knocking out a man twice her size she wouldn't know where to start.

"Listen, I want to talk to you about Lynn. I told Robert that I would bring the two of you home. Have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah. I explained to him what she said. He was sad but he understood why she did it."

"Would you mind explaining to me what she said?"

"She told me that she was sorry for everything I had to go through and she never intended for her past life to affect me. She told me she loved me and that she was going to go somewhere she could lay low. I guess she didn't want Division to try and take us away again. She told me when the time was right she would return home."

"I'm sorry Alyssa. I never meant to cause you so much trouble."

"No it's not your fault. If anything I'm glad I trusted you. You told me the truth from the beginning and I found out about Anthony. I don't think he really cared about me. But it's okay right?" She tried to smile and started taking plates down from the cabinets.

"Alyssa if you ever need to talk or anything let me know okay?" Nikita told her.

"Thanks but I'm fine, really." She tried to assure her with another smile.

"Just for the record I think Anthony really does care about you. It's just the situation he is in doesn't allow for love. Trust me. I know. He knows what will happen if they find out that he cares about you."

"Did you lose someone to Division?" Alyssa asked.

"I did..." She looked over at Michael. "But I did gain something too. Just not in the way that I wanted. I just want you to know that it may hurt now, but you never know what the future holds for you or what you can make out of it." Nikita helped her put food on everyone's plate.

"Spoken like the true wiser sister, huh?" Nikita couldn't help but smile. She did feel that her and Alyssa were already becoming closer. "I can tell that he really loves you, Michael. He is a great guy. You are lucky."

"I am. I just wish that we could have the same relationship we did before. Things are a little tough right now. We were finally together, but I feel like I lost him again but I can't be selfish. There are things in his life that he needs to have that I can even give him."

"Like what?"

"A family..." Nikita looked over at him again and then turned away. She felt herself getting worked up and she couldn't let that happen, not here and now. Alyssa put her hand on Nikita's shoulder.

"You will be back together again. I know it. Don't worry. You two are made for one another."

"Thanks Alyssa."

They called the guys over to grab their plates and everyone sat together in the living room.

"Wow." Owen said.

"What?" Birkhoff asked.

"I can't remember the last time I've had a meal like this with friends." Nikita smiled feeling like for the first time in a long time she was stress free. Even if the moment would end after she took her last bite of food, it still felt good.

"Feels good doesn't it?" Birkhoff agreed.

Once everyone was finished eating they each washed out their plates and went off to do their own things. Nikita stood by the window and Robert walked over to her.

"Nikita I just wanted to thank you for getting my wife and Alyssa out safely. I don't know what I would have done if they never came back to me."

"About Lynn…"

"It's alright. You don't have to explain. I know that you got her out. It was her choice to leave." Nikita nodded. Robert smiled and placed a hand on her arm. "You really are like Ahn. She always went out of her way to help people even if they didn't deserve it." With that he walked away and went back into the bedroom. Nikita appreciated his words. She knew that he was sincere. Never once did she feel like he was trying to deceive her and she appreciated that.

After about an hour Alyssa asked Nikita if she could speak to her and they sat in Nikita's room.

"I was talking to dad about how safe it would be to go back to our homes and jobs. Tomorrow's Monday and I don't want to miss work. Then again, I am worried about Division. They know where my parents' live and well…I guess where I live too…" Her words trailed off. Nikita felt a pit in her stomach. She realized how much her life was affecting them. They may always be in danger as long as Division is hunting her.

"I want you to be able to go back to work and to your home but I am worried about Division. You just escaped and I'm sure it's crazy over there right now…" She thought about Alex and thought maybe she'd call to find out how pissed Amanda was. "I'm going to make a call and then we can decide about you going home." She left the room and went over to Birkhoff and Michael. She put the phone on speaker and called Alex.

"Nikita." She whispered. "Amanda was extremely pissed off earlier. She saw that your family had gotten away and she was going to send out a massive search team for them."

"What is she doing about it now?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Lynn…she came back." Alyssa had been listening to the conversation and she stood still in the middle of the room shocked by what she heard. The whole room fell silent and Nikita didn't know how to respond. "She is Amanda's lapdog now following her every move, doing everything she says. It was all under one condition: Amanda would leave her family alone."

Alyssa began to cry and ran into the room. Robert followed after her.

"Thanks for the update."

"No problem." Nikita hung up the phone and looked up at Michael. He had a disappointed look on his face. They all stood there not knowing what led Lynn to make that decision and they wanted to know why.


	14. Separation and Attachment

Chapter 14: Separation and Attachment

"I can't believe her." Nikita huffed under her breath.

"Who would willingly go back?" Owen asked baffled.

"Someone who is trying to protect their family." Michael told him.

"Yeah and abandoning them." Owen added.

"She's sacrificing herself so that Alyssa and Robert can have normal lives." Owen huffed at Michael. "

You can at least acknowledge her effort to protect her family."

"If that were me I'd stay and fight not give into the enemy."

"Think about.." Before Michael could take the debate any further Nikita cut him off.

"Alright the bottom line is she's at Division…and there's not much we can do about it. If she chooses to be there we can't get her out."

"Well, now she knows that Alex worked with us which would piss Amanda off if she found out. Now that Lynn is her new sidekick who knows what she'll say. She could be telling Amanda how the whole thing played out as we speak." Owen said.

Everyone could feel the tension in the room. Now, Nikita was more worried about Alex than ever. If Amanda found out she may really terminate her ties with Alex for good, maybe even get rid of Alex for good. Nikita picked up the phone to call her.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

"At my apartment."

"Have you talked to Amanda?"

"No.."

"Okay. Lynn knows that we worked together now which could be a problem if she is working with Amanda. I need to talk to her about it."

"I didn't even think about that."

"Just relax for now because maybe she hasn't told Amanda anything. If you have any problems at Division let me know."

"Okay. Thanks." Nikita hung up the phone. She headed into the room where Alyssa and Robert were talking and knocked on the door. Robert opened the door and stepped out to talk to Nikita.

"She's really upset. I'm not sure if she'll talk to you or not." Nikita nodded and stepped into the room. She closed the door behind her and slowly walked over and sat down on the bed with Alyssa. Alyssa's back was turned towards her but she could hear Alyssa sniffling.

"You know…I thought she would come back one day. I guess I realized that it might not happen." Alyssa told Nikita. Her sadness was so innocent. All she wanted was her mother, but she was taken away from her. Nikita could sympathize with her. She sat closer to Alyssa and pulled her into a hug.

"I know it may be hard to understand right now…but she is doing this for you..for you and your father."

"But why? Why would she just leave and do that without telling us? I'm sure you all could have helped keep us safe. We could have handled it as a family."

"Your mother doesn't want you to deal with the repercussions of her life at all. She wants you to keep living as you were without worry. She is doing what a mother would do for her child…she is protecting you. You are lucky to have someone in your life like that, Alyssa." Alyssa looked her in the eyes and tried to control her tears. She wiped her tears off her face and smiled.

"I'm also lucky to have a sister like you." Nikita gave her another hug. It was nice to know that her sister enjoyed having her around. Even though so much happened since they met, a good relationship was created through it all. "It feels like I've talked to you before, like we'd been sisters all along."

"I feel the same way." Nikita's smile grew; she finally felt like she had family. "Well how about we join everyone out in the living room?" Alyssa nodded but then touched Nikita's arm before she got up.

"I…I wanted to know if I could go back home now. Everything is over right?"

Nikita thought about all the potential things that could happen if Alyssa left.

"I have work tomorrow and I think I need to try and return to my normal life. I mean, I can't live like this forever. I think I can handle myself now that everything is settled."

"I don't see a problem with it. Let me talk to Robert about what he wants to do as well." Nikita told her. They went out into the living room and Nikita pulled Michael aside to talk about the situation.

"I think they will be okay. If Amanda holds up her end of the deal and leaves Alyssa and Robert alone so long as Lynn works for her then…I don't see a problem with it." Michael told Nikita.

"Yeah…I don't know I guess I'm just worried. She knows where both of them live and then…Anthony. What if he bothers Alyssa again?"

"Well I don't think she'd call it bothersome. From what I understand they had a previous relationship?"

"Yeah…it's complicated."

"From what Birkhoff told me I can definitely see that. It would be an issue if he came back?"

"Yeah he's Division."

"Well if they are in love…"

"He is trouble for her. He already caused so much…"

"I understand that you are trying to protect your sister but….Nikita you can probably empathize with her the most." Nikita thought about her relationship with Daniel and how she didn't let Division stand in the way. "And you have to remember that you may feel obligated to make sure nothing happens to her but she will make her own decisions and she was living her life before she met you. All you can do is look out for her."

"I guess you're right." She reluctantly agreed. After talking with Robert and Alyssa she decided to take them back home that same day. Owen decided to leave as well leaving Birkhoff in the apartment searching the Shadow Net. Michael drove with Nikita in the passenger seat. They made it to Robert's place first. They all got out of the car and went inside. Nikita felt the need to check the house to make sure everything was okay before leaving.

"Looks like you'll be okay here." She told him. He took her hands into his.

"Nikita, thank you so much for everything you've done for my family. If it's not too much I would like to stay in contact with you." She nodded and smiled.

"I would really like that."

He nodded and smiled at her. He gave her one last hug and then gave Alyssa a hug. With that the four of them headed for D.C. The ride there was quiet. Nikita mind was swarming with memories of all the past events that only added to the hectic life she led. She caught a glimpse of Alyssa in the car's blind spot mirror. Alyssa was dozing out the window. Nikita knew that Alyssa's life had changed dramatically over the past couple of days and she felt like it was her fault.

When they got to Alyssa's apartment, they all got out of the car and walked up to the front of the building.

"Thank you for taking me home." Alyssa said to them.

"It was no problem at all Alyssa. Please feel free to visit us. We'd like to have you stay again. I'm glad that we all got the chance to meet you." Michael smiled at her. Alyssa gave him a hug and he walked back to the car to give her and Nikita a chance to talk.

"So…I guess it's back to normal from here." Alyssa said.

"What is normal anyway?" Nikita smirked.

"Yeah…you have a point. You know when I found out I may not ever see my mother again I really felt resentment towards her and…even towards you." Nikita felt a knot form in her throat. Her fear came true. "However…I kept myself from blaming anyone. I realized that the life I thought I had was only an image my parents created for me. I can't blame them for it. Every parent wants their child to feel happy and stable. In truth…I'm happy that you came, that I met you. I always wanted a sister." A huge smile stretched across Nikita's face and she pulled Alyssa into a hug. They stood like that and for a second all of Nikita's worries disappeared.

"Please keep in touch."

"You do the same."

As hard as it was for the two of them, they parted ways. Nikita got into the passenger seat and closed her eyes. When she opened them she was staring at Michael, the man who had been there through it all.

"I'm glad that you're smiling. You found what you were looking for."

"Yeah I did. I also had someone great in my life all along but I was so afraid of losing him that I pushed him away." Nikita said looking straight into his eyes. It was hard for her to admit that she pushed him away but she knew he'd appreciate her honesty. Michael took her hand and gently squeezed it.

"No. You didn't lose him." He looked at her with sincerity. "He's right here."

Without holding back she squeezed him so tight not wanting to let him go. She kissed him on the cheek then he pulled her into a long needed kiss. Nikita couldn't help but smile. She got him back, she had her family, and her friends too.


	15. Hana

Chapter 15: Hana

Nikita and Michael drove back home. When they got there it was quiet except for the sound of Birkhoff typing away. Everyone else was gone and Nikita felt like she now had a piece of mind.

"It hasn't been this quiet in a long time has it?" She glanced up at Michael who gently placed his hand on her back.

"Feels good doesn't it?" she nodded in agreement. Birkhoff turned to look at them and continued typing.

"How'd everything go?" he asked.

"Great." She told him with a smile and sat on the sofa.

"Wow that's a shocker nothing crazy happened on a Niki and Mikey mission?" Birkhoff asked sarcastically. She couldn't help but chuckle. It was true, no matter what, her life was always full of drama.

"No actually. Couldn't have gone better."

Just then Nikita felt her cell ringing in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Nikita..." It was Robert. She prayed that nothing bad was happening. She had no clue what could possibly be wrong at this point.

"Robert?"

"Whats wrong?"

"I need to tell you something. I was debating whether or not I should. But since you have met your sister and me I think it is important that you meet her too."

"Wait. What are you saying? Who are you talking about?"

"I may know where your mother's sister is."

"Sister? She has a sister?"

"Yes. She actually moved to the states about a year after I moved back."

Nikita had a look of surprise. Birkhoff and Michael stared at her in anticipation.

"All I have is her phone number but it's from over 20 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if she changed her number."

"What is her name?"

"Hana."

* * *

><p>"Hana." Nikita repeated back to Robert. She put her hand on her head and paced back and forth. "I can't believe it"<p>

"I know that when she moved to the U.S. she moved to California. There's a possibility that she is still there but it was years ago."

"I have to meet her. If you can give me the number you have it'd be greatly appreciated."

"It's not a lot but I hope it helps you out."

"Well luckily my friend here does a pretty good job at searching for people."

"Great," He told her the number and added another piece of information. "and Nikita...I want to let you know that your mother was...a twin. Hana is your mother's twin sister."

Nikita couldn't help but smile. Even though she would never meet her mother at least she can see what her mother's face looked like.

"Thank you so much Robert for telling me this."

"It's the least I could do for...my daughter." She let her guard down for a second to smile.

"I'll keep in touch."

"What's up?" Birkhoff asked. Michael stared at her in question.

"Robert told me that my mother has a twin sister. Her name is Hana. "

"Nikita that's great." Michael felt elated for her and put his arms around her.

"He gave me her old phone number but I think it's probably outdated. I was hoping with Birkhoff's skills..."

"Already on it and...bingo."

A list of Hana's popped up on the screen. Birkhoff tried to cut down the list by using the phone number and tracking down her previous phone contracts. Her name and last known address popped up on the screen a long with a picture.

"There she is"

Nikita studied the picture and compared it to the picture of her mother she kept in her pocket.

"That's her."

"Let's go find her. Where does she live?"

"Still currently lives in Los Angeles. She is fifty years old and owns a restaurant close to her home."

"We can head out first thing tomorrow morning." Michael told her.

"I will buy your plane tickets for early tomorrow morning. You should be there no later than early afternoon."

"Thanks Birkhoff." Nikita said.

The next morning Michael and Nikita set out early to catch their flight. Nikita stared out her window down at the huge world below her and wondered how every day she decided to try and conquer its evil. She thought that even though it was evil, from this view, she could still see its beauty. She began to think about Hana and slightly doubted that everything would work out in her head the way she expected it to. Nikita had already come to terms with the fact that her life would never be normal. However, she still hoped that she'd find something stable, a family.

When they got off the plane they rented a car and stopped at a diner for breakfast. Nikita noticed Michael studying her as they sat waiting for their food. She couldn't sit still and felt antsy.

"Relax," he said calmly and gently squeezed her hand.

"I know," she sighed "it's just so hard. I mean what If she doesn't want to be bothered."

"I'm sure that's not the case. You are her sister's daughter who she hasn't laid eyes on since you were a baby."

Nikita nodded and took a deep breath. Michael couldn't help but smile at her. It wasn't that often that he saw her nervous or unsure about something.

After they finished eating they got into the car and set out to find Hana's house. After about twenty minutes they came across a quiet neighborhood near the ocean. Nikita read the house numbers until she found 243.

"That's it," she said under her breath. Michael parked the car and they stared at the house. It was a nice size house with a stone path and many flowers and plants decorating the house. Nikita look at herself in the car mirror and fixed her makeup. She had her hair half up half down and she was wearing jeans with a nice top and cardigan, not her usual attire. She turned to Michael to ask how she looked but he answered before she could ask.

"Beautiful." she smiled and kissed him.

"Okay" she whispered to herself as they walked up to the front door. Nikita pressed the doorbell and waited for an answer.


	16. A New Beginning

Chapter 16: A New Beginning

No one answered the door. She knocked again and waited. She saw a woman peek out through the window and then the door opened. She was a lot shorter than Nikita. Her hair was gray and cut short. She looked back and forth between Nikita and Michael.

"Hi my name is Nikita. Do you know...remember Robert Meers?" Hana stared at her in awe. Nikita began to feel awkward and started to speak. "Hana...well I am..."

She stopped when Hana reached up and touched her cheek.

"Nikita..." Hana smiled at her. Nikita was surprised yet relieved that Hana remembered her. A rush of joy took hold of her as she's stood there with her aunt. She felt as if she were staring right at her mother.

They sat in Hana's living room and waited for her to come back into the room with tea. She looked around the house that was decorated with trinkets from Vietnam. She noticed a picture sitting on a small table near the couch. It was Hana and Anh standing in front of the restaurant Anh worked at. They were both smiling with their arms wrapped around one another. Nikita tried to tell them apart as she studied each of their faces.

"Your mother is on the right." Hana said as she walked into the room with a tray. Nikita put the picture down and helped Hana set the tray on the coffee table.

"Thank you Hana." Michael said as he picked up his cup of tea. Hana smiled and nodded.

"I'll be right back." she told them as she went into another room. Nikita sat next to Michael and took a sip from her cup.

"This is amazing," she said to Michael as she looked around. "I can't believe I'm here. Everything I've wanted for the longest time has finally come true."

"Well you deserve it Nikita." She smiled and kissed him. Hana came back into the room with a large, leather book. It looked old and worn. She sat next to Nikita and opened it.

"I want to show you all of these pictures. It's all the pictures I owned from childhood to now of me, your mother, and all of our family in Vietnam." Nikita was excited as she watched Hana open the book. A picture fell out and Nikita picked it up off the floor. It was of a small baby a couple of months old.

"That's you," Hana told her. "Your father sent it to me when I moved to the U.S. He told me it was one of the only pictures he had of you and he wanted me to have it." She didn't even know that Robert kept pictures of her all of those years.

She began to think about her original thoughts about her parents and why they may have left her and all the pain started to subside. She looked at the book and saw a lot of her relatives and one picture of her mother made her smile every time she looked at it. She was pregnant and standing outside with her hand on her belly. She looked so happy in all the pictures. She knew that her mother had been a good person and she realized how different her life would have been if she were alive. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye before it could fall. Hana smiled and put a hand on her back.

She looked at Hana and at that moment she felt like her life had changed. She always had her family Michael, Birkhoff, Alex, but this time she found a new one. She knew now that she had people in her life that cared about her and at that moment she took Michael's hand into hers. This time she wouldn't let him go.


End file.
